A great big universe is out there in all its glory waiting for its vastness to be discovered. Astronomy and cosmology are the subjects that enable one to understand the sheer brilliance of space and celestial bodies.
Astronomy and cosmology are often confused and used interchangeably in spite of their differences. However, the differences are real. Astronomy is the science of celestial bodies in space, their movements, and positions whereas cosmology takes a look at the universe as a whole.
Read more to find out what sets the two apart.
The Scope and Range
Astronomy investigates things close to Earth, such as the sun, planets and their satellites, meteorites, comets, matter clouds around the sun, and stars. It looks at the structure of the cosmos, specifically galaxy clusters.
Cosmology on the other hand looks at the universe in its entirety including its origin, evolution, and structure.
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History
Astronomy evolved through time. It began when prehistoric man began to wonder about the little stars and hazy patches that traveled continuously in a repeating fashion around the globe. By the end of the twentieth century, astronomy had reached its pinnacle.
On the other hand, cosmology appeared considerably later in history when mathematics and physics became important as the foundation of the natural sciences in the twentieth century.
Method of Study
While astronomy is simple and easy, cosmology is not. Astronomy is more observational than theoretical.
Cosmology ideas are mostly dependent on mathematics and sophisticated physics, with little reliance on empirical facts. Theories such as the big bang theory were first developed theoretically and then empirically validated. Cosmology is a branch of science that explores entities such as neutron stars and pulsars
Outside of academia, observational and radio astronomy can be studied. Amateur astronomy is quite popular among science lovers all around the world. Are you one of them?
The Theories
Observational astronomy studies sky objects with giant astronomical telescopes, radio astronomy studies stars and galaxies with radio waves that reach Earth; planetary astronomy studies planet motion, composition, geology, and atmosphere, and astrobiology studies the possibility of life forms on planets and their satellites.
Relativity, quantum mechanics, and theoretical physics are all disciplines of cosmology. All of these fields explore the structure and component dynamics of the cosmos as a whole.
The beginning of the universe is investigated through ideas such as the big bang hypothesis and the steady-state theory. On a micro-scale, the String Theory and the Grand Unified Theory (GUT) investigate the structure and operation of the cosmos.
Difficulty Level
Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that goes beyond the basics in that is a concoction of observational and theoretical astronomy. In terms of research complexity, the ascending order astronomy is much more complex than cosmology due to the level of specificity and depth it entails.
The Crux
The two disciplines are indeed quite different but to put it concisely, cosmology is a subcategory of astronomy. While astronomy is more specific to celestial bodies, cosmology has a more holistic outlook of the universe. Which one sparks your interest?
